


I’m Back With A Madness (if i can live through this)

by TwentyOnePhan



Category: Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet (TV)
Genre: Angst, Gen, and i love ian, can u tell i love cats, i WILL woobify ian if its the last thing i do, just ian being Sad rlly, neko u inspired me fr all of this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:28:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22204870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwentyOnePhan/pseuds/TwentyOnePhan
Summary: As Mythic Quest begins to slip down the charts, Ian begins to crack under pressure
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	I’m Back With A Madness (if i can live through this)

**Author's Note:**

> THIS IS FOR IAN NATION ! NEKO !!!!! HOLLY!!!!!! GEE!!!!! ALL OF OH YEAH PETE GC ID DIE FOR U ALL ILYSM !!!!!!!!!!!!! 
> 
> (also i couldnt get itallics so just idk imagine where u think they are)

To say it had been a shitty day was the understatement of the fucking century. 

Not only was his game - his pride, his joy, his legacy - beginning to slip down the charts as bigger titles rolled in with shiny new graphics, his supposedly “loyal” co-workers were all very much pointing the finger of blame at him. Him! Like he didn’t work overtime almost every night, sometimes falling asleep at his desk, killing his back by the way, woken only by the cleaners shuffling at dawn. 

Apparently he hadn’t given his team enough to work with to produce newer updates, so they can be one step ahead of their competitors or some bullshit like that. 

Every time he walked around the office he felt eyes boring into him, piercing his soul, judging him for not doing good enough. They all expected him to just come up with a magical solution and fix it, like it was that easy. As if he hadn’t already pleaded to every deity he could think of for an answer until his knuckles turned white and his fingernails dug deep crescents into his hands. 

Needless to say, the stress was beginning to eat away at him, clawing at the back of his mind in the quiet moments during the day or behind his eyelids whenever he blinked, weighing him down until the pressure was so great he wondered how he got out of bed at all. 

He couldn’t let them see it though, couldn’t let anyone see him as anything other than his usual, their (obviously superior) leader, so he plastered on the widest smile and the strongest charm he could and continued on through the week.

It had worked well so far, nobody had noticed the 8 cups of coffee he had yesterday morning alone, and no one caught him vomiting into the trash can in his office after thinking too long about the what-ifs; What if the game never climbs the charts again? What if no matter how much I try, I slip lower and lower and the game is forgotten all together? What if it was all for nothing? If he left early because his hands wouldn’t stop shaking and he could feel stupid, childish tears prick at his eyes when he was met with a table full of expecting glares during a meeting, well no one seemed to notice at all. 

Storming out the building, he tried not to dwell on that, instead focusing on the simple task of getting home. One foot in front of the other, that's all he had to do. It wasn’t a long walk by any means, living close to the office reaped only benefits, but God, it felt like hours as the cold wind whipped his face and the anxiety gripped tighter and tighter at his chest. Apartment in sight, he sped up, desperate to be home, to be alone and out of sight of any of the judging bastards he worked with. 

‘As if they could come up with anything better’ he grumbled. 

Trying to fish keys out your pocket and unlock a door with numb, trembling hands is just as hard as it sounds it turns out, Ian almost throwing them against the wall in frustration when he finally heard the click of the lock and swung the door open. 

It was dark in his flat, but warm and familiar and peaceful, the sound of the shutting down echoing through the hallway. He took a deep breath, ignoring how shaky and pathetic it sounded, and made his way to the kitchen, when, a split second from the disaster of having very sharp claws impaled into his leg, he noticed the black fluffy mass on the floor, purring faintly at his presence. He smiled, almost tearing up, and kneeled down beside the fluffball sprawled beneath him.

Extending a shaking hand and ghosting it gingerly over her head, two bright yellow eyes appeared from the dark as she gave a small surprised purr and headbutted against Ian. 

“Hey baby girl!”, he whispered softly into the dark, “How’s my favourite girl doing?” 

Purring loudly, the old cat began to twirl her tail around his arm, headbutting his hand affectionately for more scratches and Ian gave his first genuine smile in many, many days, albeit small, at his girl dancing around him, showing unlimited affection. 

He had found Raven as a tiny kitten, nothing but a ball of midnight black fluff with piercing yellow eyes peeking out, and he had fell in love instantly, knew deep within him he had to have her. She had kept him company for 15 years, seeing him through some of his darkest nights alone and the development of his empire. He didn’t know what he’d do without her, not sure he was ever prepared to find out. 

As he listened to her happy purrs echoing through the hallway, he felt his heart clench and eyes well with tears. He desperately tried to fight against them, not let them fall but Raven had seen worse than tears and soon enough, burning, wet drops ran down his cheeks. 

“Oh R-Raven. I d-don’t know what I'm gonna do…” he breathed out, shaky and small, like a child. Pathetic. 

He slumped to the floor and Raven quickly took position in his lap, soothing his aching soul with her gentle purrs, grounding him as he sobbed quietly into the dark enveloping him. 

He was stronger than this. He couldn’t remember the last time he broke down like this, so pathetically over some stupid sales. But this game was more than a game to him, more than a cash cow, it was his life. He was the main character for God’s sakes! If he didn’t have Mythic Quest, he didn’t have anything or anybody and that fact burned through him, like a lit match dropped in gasoline. 

His sobs began to turn frantic, breath quickening as he felt panic set in fast. He couldn’t lose this game, it was all he had. If he doesn’t get sales back up, everyone will quit and hate him and he’ll lose everything and be a public failure and die alone on the street and god what will happen to Ra-

Gentle meowing broke him out of his panic, as he tore open his clenched eyes (when had they shut?) to meet with bright yellow ones looking at him. Without him realising he had drawn his knees to his chest, curling up, hiding away, and displacing a certain black cat, who was now perched serenely on his knees, staring at him. 

He blinked away tears - once, twice - and took a shuddering breath. 

Without saying a word, Raven seemed to tell him what he so desperately needed, craved, to hear. 

You’re good enough. You’re doing so well. You will be fine. You’re enough, Ian. 

He gave her a watery smile as she simply flicked her tail at him, and raised his arm to give her a feeble pet. This appeased her, eyes shutting in pleasure and rumbling purrs vibrating through her, echoing through Ian’s hand. He would be okay. As long as he had her and himself, he’d make it. 

“What would I do without you? You’re my best friend, you know that?”, he cooed at her as she preened under the attention, purrs growing stronger as Ian’s strength returned. 

He felt his heart rate slowing down, breath catching up to him and mind racing less and less, until he felt less on the verge of death as before. Smiling gently, he gazed at her complete happiness and serenity and whispered fondly into the dark,

“Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> TYSM FOR READING IK ITS SHIT BUT ITS JUST FOR YOU GUYS N ILY ALL SM TYSM <3


End file.
